It is harder than you think to take good, IG worthy foodie pics when you don’t know what your are doing. Now YOU can post just like the professional bloggers with my easy 8 tips for stunning foodie pics taken with your phone.

1. CLEAN your phone camera lens. A little quick wipe with the corner of your shirt is all it needs but can make a huge difference!

2. Select the GRID option on your phone to reveal the 9 rectangles and grid lines. This will help you to use a photographer master technique called ” the RULE OF THIRDS” . This technique is about taking a photo where the subject is not centered but the main focal point is just slightly off to the side. It is about composition versus a snapshot.

3. Find the LIGHT. Be ready to start looking for the right light. Filtered daylight is the best. Avoid direct sunlight and artificial light when possible. Take your plate closer to a window for that natural shot.

4. Adjust BRIGHTNESS. By tapping on the screen and focusing the picture you can also slide up or down on brightness.

5. For those gorgeous selfies, use the 3 or 10 second TIMER. This will avoid a shaky picture.

6. The best pictures for IG are taken with a VERTICAL angel to accentuate height and volume and at a HORIZONTAL angle for a beautiful flatlay.

7. Shoot in PORTRAIT versus landscape if you plan to post the pictures of your food on IG. You can select the square or rectangle option on IG when posting your foodie pics.

8. Never use the FLASH! Don’t do it, it will look bad in any circumstance.

and more tips …

Avoid getting your dinner companions cross with you for making them wait while you take foodie pics. Practice at home and make it a quick snap under 2 minutes and nobody will get mad… and your food won’t get cold.

Delete once posted as you no longer need your photos on your phone ( they will be forever stored on social media once posted) . If must be, keep only 1 pic. Who needs 8 pictures on their phone of the same dish?

“Most foods are brown”, Nigella said it! So consider before you post: does this look yummy?

not paid to post, my own tips I learned over the years as a non-professional photographer.Photo taken by kinlake.